Sibling Battle Book
by Mission Catalyst
Summary: {Dipper coughed, then straightened, heart pounding. "Wendy, do you wanna dance?"} In which Dipper finally gets his dance with Wendy, thanks to a little help from Mabel. (A collection of one shots about the Pines twins, picking up the emotional bonding the show left off. Fluff, angst)
1. One

**A/N I decided to make the writing in this story a little simpler, because it's not about how perfectly I can describe an event, it's more about the event itself. Thanks for reading; please enjoy.**

 **I am also taking requests for new chapter ideas, so feel free to drop a review telling me how I'm doing and what you'd like to see in future chapters.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to my eleven year old self, about to embark on my serious writing journey.**

The bus was loud, the bus was rattling, the bus was smelly.

Dipper had realized from the very beginning that the ride would be one of circus-level contortions, and he had his limbs placed as such: one foot resting on his suitcase, the knee bent awkwardly upwards, one arm folded behind his aching neck, and one hand balancing a hard-cover _Sibling Brothers_ novel.

His sister was asleep on his shoulder, something that looked an awful lot like drool pooling about on his shirt fabric.

However, the one thing Dipper hated most of all about that freaking bus was that when his torso bounced down, his ass bounced up.

"Downtown Gravity Falls, ten minutes! Mystery Shack, twenty!" the driver said.

Mabel snorted awake, wiping her mouth. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"

"No," Dipper said. "Twenty minutes."

"Hey, hey, bro, bro! What's up with the saddy face?"

Dipper shook his head. "Can I ask you a question?"

Mabel scoffed. "That's a dumb question. Of course you can ask me a question!"

She frowned, touching his shoulder. "Did I do that?"

"It doesn't matter. It's just—it's just—I'm just—I want a good—I want a good summer this year. Last year you were at camp the whole time, and I was lonely, and, like…we're going to be teenagers soon and…" He groaned. "This sounds so stupid—"

She cut him off. "Hey, Dippingsauce. I know you're worried about this summer, cause you're worried about everything and all. But I'm not going anywhere."

He looked at her for the first time, a sorrowful gaze with those soft brown eyes, and Mabel's heart constricted. "Dipper, what's wrong?"

"Part of me is just like, I'm scared. What if you get some, I don't know, some boyfriend while we're here and you go off and have that 'epic summer romance' you were talking about…and then what am I supposed to do? Read?"

Mabel laughed, and Dipper scowled.

"You're crazy, bro-bro," she said finally. "You know it's just me and you. You know that."

"But—"

"Hey, look," Mabel interrupted, digging around in her duffel. She pulled out a pink book so bright it made Dipper squint. And the title: _Summer Memories_.

"What's that?"

"It's for _us_ , dumbo! I made it myself, and I'm gonna take awesome pictures and put all the fun stuff we do right in here."

Dipper smiled in spite of himself. "I guess that's kinda cool."

"Mystery Shack, ten minutes!" the driver said.

"Are you ready, Dipping Dots? A whole summer with your amazing, awesome, cool, wonderful, perfect-"

"Okay, okay," Dipper laughed. "Okay, I get it." He smiled. "I'm ready."

 **A/N A little backstory behind this fic:**

 **I was there for the airing of the first two episodes of Gravity Falls on Disney Channel. I was eleven years old, nearing but not reaching the age of being technically "too old for cartoons." I remember having an almost immediate affection for Dipper and Mabel—characters who reflected my personality almost to a T: Dipper's anxiety, paranoia, and drive for the supernatural; Mabel's goofiness and excitement…these characters shaped me and the way I grew up. I remember quoting them daily, giving myself self high fives after watching _Dipper vs. Manliness,_ and having that freaking Lamby Dance stuck in my head for one or two some odd years. When I was twelve, I wrote my first fanfiction on my old account, Beatrice Gold, and I owe my writing chops to none other than that. God knows how and why people seemed to like it (I think it's nothing short of awful). When the show ended, I had already aged three and a half years and was just only starting to get back into the show—I had just turned fifteen that past November (I actually wrote a fic on this account around that time, if you'd like to check it out). I am seventeen now. The show may be over but the impact it had on my life is not. I have a job, I have a car, I have a boyfriend, I take multiple AP classes, and I am preparing for college. Unfortunately, as Dipper so often coveted, I am "technically a teen." It's hard to begin your first year of being treated like an adult. Add a little GAD and TLE into the mix and it's enough to miss the days of being a pimply, lumpy, prepubescent preteen like Dipper and Mabel. My young childhood is almost over. I have grown up since _Tourist Trapped_ and _The Time Traveler's Pig_ , but I can always keep writing fanfiction. Just like I did when I was twelve. That's what this fic is for, if I have time to keep it up. Just something to remind me of childhood, so I can feel small again in between all my FRQs and failed Physics tests. Next year my summer will be over. I hope I'll be ready for it by then. I want a pug sundae.**

 **Yes,**

 **Definitely,**

 **Absolutely,**

 **Mission Catalyst**


	2. Two

**A/N This chapter is dedicated to my very first review on my first account (even though I trash it all the time, it's still very dear to me :)). Thank you The Design Nerd.**

Dipper started in his sleep, eyes shooting open, and jolted into a sitting position. He blinked, eyes darting about the room, frantically searching for something, anything familiar. His bureau was nowhere to be found, and there were boy band posters were plastered to the walls in place of astrology pictures.

This was not his room.

This was the attic.

He curled in on himself, squeezing his eyes shut, a pang of homesickness blooming in his chest like fire.

"Dipper? You awake?"

"Nmurph."

"Dipper, look what I'm doing!"

"Urmmmmfff."

He lifted an eyelid, blinking through sleep-blurred vision at the bed across the room. Mabel had gotten hold of his reading light and was furiously pasting photographs in a book.

"Whu youh doin?" Dipper mumbled.

"C'mere, and I'll show you."

Dipper nodded, either not realizing or not caring that only he could see the action and padded across the floor. Mabel patted the space next to her, and Dipper clambered on the groaning mattress. On her lap sat her book of Summer Memories, the bright pink cover still glaring enough for use as some sort of makeshift nightlight. She'd written _Day 1_ as the title, stickers scattered haphazardly about the page like an alcoholic's path on a hiking trail.

A picture was nestled beneath the title.

It was the three of them—Dipper, Mabel, and Stan. He blinked again, squinting. Stan and Mabel looked pretty happy, but his own body was stiff, expression calculated and wary.

He looked at his sister, face stricken. Her hands were covered in broken bits of macaroni and slicked with glue.

"Right now I'm making a macaroni interpretation of my feelings. See here," she jabbed a sticky finger to the page, "is a smiley face, 'cause I feel happy. And here…" she pointed the upper corner of the page, "I put a question mark. Because I feel like I should be missing home, but I'm really not at all. I'm _questioning_ my _feelings_."

Dipper yawned. "Well that's good for you, because I think I'm ready to go home." He bit his lip. "Everything's so boring here. The most interesting thing we've seen all day was that goat trying to eat Stan's foot. Or that bug you found in the beans Grunkle Stan gave us for dinner." He shuddered. "Mom and Dad should've sent us to Aunt Martha's.

Mabel made a face. "Ew. Seriously, Dipper? It's not that bad here. You never wait long enough to give things a chance. It's only our first night, Bro Bro. How about, just this once, you take things as they come? One day at a time. No calculations, no planning, no stressing, no anxiety—" She poked his forehead, laughing. "No thinking!"

A loud banging rumbled across the attic floor. "Kids! It's one in the morning! Shut your yaps! Some of us want a few hours of sleep!"

The twins looked at each other, smiling, and Dipper laughed quietly in spite of himself. "Mabel!" he whispered. "One o'clock in the morning? Staying up late is my job!"

Mabel, delighted at her brother's change in mannerism, whispered back, "I just couldn't wait." She threw the comforter over the both of them, clicking the reading light up several notches. "Twin fort, twin fort!"

Dipper eventually chanted with her, and they both feigned sleep when Grunkle Stan clopped up the stairs and banged on the door. He put his hands over his mouth to keep from laughing until Stan grunted and walked away.

"Why's he up so late, anyway?" Mabel finally said.

"Probably doing gross old man stuff. Organizing his Birkenstocks. Stacking apocalypse cans. Picking at scabs."

They laid together in silence under the blankets. The heat was stifling, but Dipper chose to ignore it. When next to his sister, his aches of homesickness grew farther and farther apart until they eventually subsided altogether. He wouldn't admit it, not for a million years, but goofing around with Mabel in a twin fort brought him a sense of comfort and familiarity that sleeping alone just wouldn't offer. His eyelids sagged, remaining consciousness finally warm and at peace.

Mabel sighed. She would let Dipper crash with her tonight, just this once.

He really did kick and squirm a lot.

She turned to a fresh page of her book and began to write:

 _Today was our first day in Gravity Falls! We met our really awesome Great Uncle Stan, but we decided call him Grunkle Stan, because we think that's easier. We also met a goat named Gompers! There's also this really cool cashier girl that works for Grunkle Stan named Wendy. Call me crazy, but I think I caught Dipper BLUSHING when they first met. It's only our first day, but love is already in the air!_

She glanced at her brother's sleeping face; his features were fixed in peaceful indifference, so unlike his usual scowls and tense expressions. She smiled and continued.

 _Dipper's going to get used to Gravity Falls soon, I just know it. He told me today that he thought it was boring here, but I have a feeling things are going to get real interesting tomorrow. We haven't even explored the woods yet!_

Mabel clicked the oil lamp off and stretched out in the darkness, night insects murmuring a low hum through the soft wind outside the window. Sleep had never come so quickly.

That is, until her brother started to kick.

 **A/N Hate to be nostalgic again, but does anyone else remember watching the Gravity Falls fanfiction section grow from a few hundred to literally almost 10,000?! Absolutely crazy to think about. Writing really is the perfect time machine. As always, I'd love to hear some ideas for future chapters. We all get writer's block here! Thank you.**

 **Also, many thank you's to my reviewers of Chapter One!**

 **Krystaltheelemental**

 **Guest**

 **xxXNightOwlXxx**

 **Guest**

 **Guest**

 **Someone**

 **Anonmd**

 **Artoriasninja**

 **and the kind follows/favorites.**


	3. Three

**A/N This story is no longer rated K+. I am sorry. I don't think I've ever succeeded in writing anything whatsoever that didn't end up having some sort of extreme darkness in it. So…enjoy some feels… and angst… :)**

 **Warning! Hints of sexual assault. This is a very dark chapter. Takes place in S1E4—a little darker scenario of what could've happened during Mabel's visit to Sweater Town.**

 **This chapter is dedicated to my friend, who's not feeling so great right now.**

 **Set around _The Hand that Rocks the Mabel_ (S1E04)**

It was happening again.

Almost every day that week, Mabel had disappeared to some forgotten corner of the Mystery Shack and lost herself to Sweater Town, days turning into nights with her head tucked between her knees. Stan and Dipper ate alone for two nights in a row, the sound of Mabel's silence more deafening than any crack or silly notion she could've said.

And every day, Dipper sat beside her on the gritty floor, wordlessly, until some imaginary alarm clock went off in her head and she decided to get up.

It was the sixth evening where everything changed.

"Mabel?"

"Hmmph?"

"Is this about all about Gideon?"

"Mmmmm."

Dipper exhaled. "All right. Enough is enough. If you can't break up with Gideon, then I'll do it for you." He smiled, reaching out a hand reflexively to touch her arm, and she recoiled, back slamming against the wall.

Dipper narrowed his eyes. "Mabel, what the hell?" He reached out to his sister again in panicked confusion, yanking the sweater down below her face. Her cheeks were cold and wet with tears, nose red and eyes swollen.

She was crying.

Dipper's voice cracked. "Mabel—it's just _me_!"

She was still staring at him with those big intense Mabel eyes, her entire figure stiff, hands crossed protectively over her lower body.

And all at once, Dipper understood.

"Oh my God. Oh my God." His eyes squeezed shut and he balled his fists, trying to control his breathing, his small twelve-year-old mind trying to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

"Mabel, won't you look at me?"

He was crying now; both of them were. The room was swabbed in dark shadow, and all Dipper could see were his sister's hands:

Shielding herself.

"He—he touched you, didn't he?"

Mabel was quiet.

"He did, didn't he? Didn't he?!"

When she spoke, her voice emerged weak and watery.

"Yes."

Dipper grabbed her and held her trembling body, rocking her back and forth as she cried, her breath hitching from the force of her sobs. His jaw clicked harshly, a bloom of searing heat murmuring in his chest, a strangled growl shoving its way up and out of his throat.

 _He'd kill the kid for what he'd done to his sister._

It seemed like hours before the mutual crying eventually stopped.

"Mabel?"

Silence.

"Can you look at me?"

She obliged.

"I just—I just—" Dipper drew a shuddery breath, turning to look at her straight in the face, eyes hard. "You can _always_ tell me anything. I don't care if you're scared. I'm—I'm your twin brother. And _I love you_. And…" He cringed, wiping tears away with the back of his hand. "God, this is so hard. I just can't imagine—"

Mabel hugged him tightly, breathing in the familiar comfort that was her twin brother, the fabric of his shirt soft against her cheek and smelling like the woods outside.

"Thank you, Dipper."

Her voice was calm and leveled. Every monster, every demon had disappeared the moment her brother put his arms around her.

* * *

That night, when Mabel had fallen asleep, Dipper rose from his bed and padded downstairs to the living room. Images flickered quietly in the glow of the T.V. screen. Stan sat in his chair, and he grunted when he saw Dipper.

"What's it, Kid?" He checked his watch. "Why're you up so late?"

Dipper frowned, biting his lip, gathering the strength to speak. When he was done, Stan sat silently for a few moments, staring at the wall.

Then, he got up, got into his car, and drove away.

An hour passed before he returned. Dipper had fallen asleep in the chair, hands clenching and unclenching in his sleep. Stan wordlessly lifted him up and carried him upstairs. After laying him in bed, he stood, watching them both sleep- those beautiful, innocent kids.

Stan's eye was black now, and his skin was cut up and bruised.

"You didn't see it, kid, but I punted his little ass. Straight from here to Timbuktu."

 **A/N Many apologies if anyone was offended by the darkness of this chapter, but I can't help what the muse gives me. ANYWAY! I am thriving off and very grateful for your reviews and chapter ideas, so please- keep them coming! I love the creative ideas I'm seeing (also, if you have any questions or confusion, please let me know).**

 **On another (more STRESSFUL) note, I'm cosplaying Dipper soon with my friend, and SO HELP ME I CANNOT find his socks. Please, someone, ANYONE help me find those socks. I am a perfectionist and will not stand to have incorrect socks.**

 **Moving on :'(. MANY thanks to the kind reviews for Chapter Two...**

 **The hazel-eyed bookworm**

 **Blind-Eyephone**

 **Alloshonen**

 **...AND OF COURSE THE FOLLOWS AND FAVORITES! :)**


	4. Four

**A/N This chapter was a request from a Guest review. If anyone has requests for this story, let me know!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to those of us who have AP exams coming up.**

 **Set after _Dipper vs. Manliness_ (S1E06)**

Dipper Pines usually never gave a second thought about his appearance.

Sure, his arms were a little noodle-y sometimes, and sure, he was slightly shorter than average…and yeah, his face sometimes looked a couple years younger in a certain light, and okay, whenever he rose his voice, it cracked.

But those were all normal things, right?

Everyone was different.

Right?

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, towel wrapped around his waist, wet hair dripping onto the floor. There was the same familiar face, the same familiar body he'd looked at in the mirror for almost thirteen years.

He didn't realize he'd been crying until his sister started pounding on the bathroom door.

"Diiiiipper? What's going on?"

His head jerked upwards, and he rubbed his face.

"Nothing, Mabel. I'm fine, everything's fine!"

Silence. And then,

"Dipper, you're a pretty dang awful liar."

He sighed, stood up, and opened the door a crack. "Now's not the time," he mumbled, scrubbing a fist across his eyes. "I'm busy."

"Well, I am too. Busy with you." Mabel shoved the door open, causing Dipper to stumble backwards and almost drop his towel.

"Mabel! What the heck?"

"What, you think I'm just gonna sit on the couch watching _Smooch Town_ while you're upset like this?"

"Like what?" Dipper said angrily, eyes flashing, and he crossed his arms about his chest. "So I had a bad day. So I have no chest hair, no muscles, and a cracky voice. So what, Mabel?" He sat down on the edge of the bathtub with a thump. "I'm completely humiliated. So _what_? And you, my own freaking sister, you know I get insecure sometimes. But you were laughing at me too!" He paused, quieter now. "From Stan I can expect it. But you're my twin sister." His face was twisted up like he was trying not to cry, and his hands gripped the edge of the tub.

Mabel sat down beside him, looking at the floor for a few moments before speaking.

"Dipper—" she started, then stopped, turning to face her brother full-on, grabbing his sweaty preteen boy hands and fastening her eyes on his. "Dipper, listen to me. This is going to sound like I'm lying, but I swear I'm not."

Dipper nodded, blinking quickly. "Okay."

"I was teasing you and stuff because it's not true. I thought you could handle it, because I thought that after all the brave things you've done so far, all the heroic stuff you've done for me, and for our friends, and our family…" She broke off. "God, Dipper. Every single thing you've done since we've got here is manly." She squeezed his arm. "Do I need to run through it all? Saving me from a giant gnome monster, fighting a bunch of wax figures and a dude that literally had telekinesis—"

Dipper gave a watery laugh. "Mabel, most of that stuff wasn't even that awesome. Gideon's like, what, ten? And—"

Mabel covered her mouth with his hand. "Shush, you big dumb dumb. You know I'm right."

Dipper gave a small smile, picking at the fabric of his towel. "If you say so."

Mabel grinned, punching his arm. "I _do_ say so, silly goose." They stood up. "I'm sorry, Dipper. I'm really, really sorry. Do you forgive me?" She held out her arms, and he hugged her.

"Yeah, Mabel. I forgive you."

 **A/N Like I said before, requests are greatly appreciated. Don't forget to drop a review to tell me how I'm doing, what you liked, didn't like (:O), etc… Thanks!**


	5. Five

**A/N This chapter is dedicated to my mom, who gave me her English skillz. It's Mother's Day in America as I'm writing this. Happy late (or early) Mother's Day!**

 **This chapter is set during _Double Dipper_ (S1E07)**

"Dipper, where've you been?! Meet my girlfriends!"

As soon as Dipper opened the door, his sister crashed into him, engulfing him in a spine-shattering Mabel hug.

"Th-thanks, Mabel," Dipper hissed, eyes bulging. He patted her arm.

Mabel drew back, eyes shiny with excitement, and gestured to what was left of the party. Wendy was still there, nodding along absently to the music, along with Grunkle Stan, thumbing through several stacks of bills, and two other girls (Mabel's new girlfriends?) were still dancing to that peppy, thumping beat that quite frankly made Dipper's head hurt.

He was still panting, slightly sweaty from the outside heat. He glanced in Wendy's direction, reflexively pushing down a strand of hair. Her eyes shifted back and met his, and her mouth curved into that knowing grin that made Dipper's stomach sick with excitement.

Suddenly, the two girls stopped their dancing and wandered over, blocking his view. They looked at each other for a few moments wordlessly, Dipper internally fuming at them for breaking his and Wendy's "moment," until the bigger girl stuck her hand out and shouted,

"HI, I'M GRENDA!"

Dipper jumped (did her voice actually sound like that?) and tentatively took the hand. "You're Dipper, right?" she added. "Is that your real name? It sounds kinda goofy-"

"I'm Candy," the smaller girl cut in. "Nice to meet you, Dipper."

Mabel was smiling so wide her eyes were slits. "I just met them today, and they're already the bestest friends I've ever had!" she said.

Dipper turned to his sister, returning her smile tiredly. "I'm happy for you, Mabel."

Grunkle Stan left the room, leaving the four of them, Wendy, and Soos, who DJ-ed so seriously, it looked like he felt his job depended on it.

"Where did everyone go?" Dipper asked lamely, cheeks burning. He'd missed the entire party for another one of his over-complicated schemes, and he knew Mabel knew it too.

"Oh, they just left for some dumb thing with Pacifica," Mabel answered dismissively, waving her hand. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Wendy's still here, you know."

"Yes, I know," Dipper answered.

"Have you made another plan or something? Are you gonna—ask her to dance?"

Dipper crossed his arms over his chest. "No more plans."

"Does that mean you're gonna—"

"Shush, Mabel!" Dipper squirmed, eyes fastening on anything, anywhere but his sister's eager expression.

"Okay, okay, Dipper. But I have an idea that'll make things easier for you."

Dipper looked up. "Oh really, what's that?"

"THIS!" Mabel shoved him, hard, and he stumbled a few feet across the room—right into Wendy.

"Oof!" she grunted, reaching her hands out to catch him before he fell. He looked up at her, wide-eyed, mouth snapped open in a perfectly rounded "O", his cheeks red hot. She grinned, glancing around at the lights that were just beginning to dim and the music that sounded suspiciously slow—

( _I'll kill Mabel for this_ )

—saying, "Looks like someone wants to dance with me."

"I—I—um—I—Wendy, it's like—Mabel—she, and me—and I—"

"Dude, you look like you're having a seizure."

Dipper coughed, then straightened, heart pounding. His voice was clear and even (it only cracked once). "Wendy, do you wanna dance?"

Wendy grinned. "Of course I do, Dipper."

Dipper smiled back, more sure of himself now, and straightened up even taller. He clasped a hand in hers, holding the other to the small of her back, and she put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you know how do do this?" Dipper muttered. "'Cause I—I don't really know—"

"Dude, quit thinking about it!" Wendy laughed. "Just have fun."

"Okay," Dipper nodded. "Let's just have fun."

The mood lights dipped and bounced across the darkened walls, and Dipper was stunned into silence, his face plastered with an uncontrollable smile. Distantly, he could hear the faded giggles of his sister and her friends somewhere in the background, but his focus was trained on Wendy, who moved backwards and forwards when he did, dutifully copying the flow of his body's rhythm.

She was letting him lead.

When the song was over, Dipper's body felt trapped in a numb, fuzzy embrace, skin tingling from where her fingers touched, heart still stuttering frantically in his chest. He barely processed her checking the time, whistling, and bending down to give him a quick, friendly peck on the cheek.

"I had a great time tonight, dude. Thanks for showing up." Her voice sounded like gooey honey in his ears, and he promptly forgot what she said moments after she said it.

And just like that, she was gone.

He slowly raised a hand to his cheek where her lips had been moments before and touched it there thoughtfully. The music started up again, then faded to silence as Dipper dazedly grabbed a Pitt Cola and stumbled across the hall towards the stairs.

He stopped abruptly, cocking his head. Muted voices sounded from the other room, rising in pitch and then lowering. They started and stopped again, trapped in an argument of some sort. Dipper opened the door and listened quietly, a surprised smile touching his lips as he realized that the voices were his own— some of his copies must have survived.

He swung open the closet door, laughing (he'd completely forgotten all about them), and found 3 and 4 inside. They froze, startled glances fastening on the Pitt Cola in his hand, faces contorting in absolute terror.

"You'll never get us!" 3 screeched, and they shoved him away and ran through the hall and out into the darkness. Dipper frowned.

 _I hope they know it's supposed to rain tomorrow._

* * *

Around twelve, the twins were finally settled into bed. Dipper finished writing in his journal and set it aside, clicking out the light. They laid in silence for a few minutes, listening to the hot wind creak through the old wooden rafters.

"Thanks, Mabel."

From her side of the room, Mabel smiled into the darkness. She knew what he was talking about.

"You're welcome, bro-bro."

The twins closed their eyes and slept deeply, far into the morning.

 **A/N I have the journal from the show, and the really short entry from this episode was basically what I used as inspiration/ a prompt for this chapter. As always, thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review to tell me how I'm doing (what needs to be improved, what you liked/didn't like) and stuff you'd like to see in further chapters. Thanks to all who reviewed chapters 3 and 4-**

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